Prisioner In Your Arms

“How is Rina?” asked Gío.

“I think it’s time for you to refer to her as your mother. You know perfectly well that she’s not to blame for your father keeping her away from you,” Gío pleaded, aware that Rina was suffering because she thought her son hated her.

“I understand, and I have nothing against her. It’s just difficult for me to get used to calling her mother,” Leandro honestly replied. He had grown up without uttering that word.

“Going back to the topic, we won’t allow our father to harm anyone else. We need to put a stop to it,” Noah said, feeling fed up with the situation.

“Are you with us or against us?” Bruno asked.

“You know I’m completely against what my father does. I won’t let him hurt Nicole or Santi. If he harmed my mother, he must pay for it,” Leandro affirmed.

Later, everyone said their goodbyes. They couldn’t stay in the room for too long. Gío went back to Rina’s side, and Bruno stayed with Nicole.

“You should have gone home. You need rest. You drove from the lake,” Bruno suggested.

“Not in my wildest dreams would I leave you alone,” Bruno replied, planting a kiss on her forehead.

At that moment, the doctor entered with the test results in hand.

“Mrs. Williams,” the doctor addressed.

“It’s Leone, please,” Bruno clarified immediately.

Nicole rolled her eyes in disagreement.

“I have the test results here. Everything looks perfect,” the doctor said.

“What was the cause of the fainting?”

Anxiously, he asked, there must be a reason for it.

“Allow me to congratulate you. You’re going to be parents,” the doctor said.

Bruno couldn’t contain his joy upon hearing the news; a big smile appeared on his face.

Nicole was in shock for a moment.

“You can go home after I prescribe some prenatal vitamins to strengthen the pregnancy. You’re in the early weeks of gestation, so you need to be very careful,” the doctor explained.

“She will, doctor. I assure you,” Bruno responded.

“This time, I’ll be with her throughout the whole process,” he added.

“Well, I’ll take my leave. I’ll send you the prescription shortly. Excuse me,” the doctor said.

“Another child, Nicole. Another child of yours and mine. This time, it will be a girl, I’m sure of it,” Bruno said, taking her hands and kissing them.

She remained motionless, just observing.

“Are you okay? Is something wrong?” Bruno asked.

“No, nothing,” Nicole replied.

“I think you didn’t feel the same joy as I did with the news,” Bruno felt sadness at the thought.

“Of course, I’m happy, but I won’t lie to you. I’m also worried. I don’t know if our relationship will last, and the thought of raising another child on my own concerns me,” she expressed her concerns.

“For God’s sake, Nicole! Look at me. I will never leave you or our children unless something happens to me. Then, it will be beyond my control,” Bruno reassured her.

“Don’t say that. Nothing will happen to you,” she pulled him close by his shirt and hugged him tightly.

She felt a tightness in her chest, unable to explain what she was feeling. It was probably just the hormones due to the pregnancy.

Later, the doctor discharged her. They left the room and went to see Rina. This time, they were allowed to enter. Gío stepped out so she could go in. Nicole sighed as she stood in front of her mother, her heart aching at the sight of her connected to all those cables.

“Mom, you have to recover. The doctor told me I’m pregnant again. Our children need their grandmother,” she cried uncontrollably, holding Rina’s hand while speaking to her. She couldn’t stay there any longer; it felt like her soul was hurting. She left and said goodbye to Gío.

“Dad, please, no matter how insignificant it may seem, let us know. Please,” she pleaded.

“Don’t worry, daughter. You need to rest. I won’t leave your mother’s side for a single moment,” Gío assured her.

Bruno and Nicole left. Gío reentered the room, stood beside the bed, and silently observed Rina. She was a beautiful woman; the years seemed not to have affected her despite her suffering.

“My love, you can’t leave me now. We promised to be together for the rest of our lives. What will I do if you leave me again?” he spoke to her with affection, hoping she could hear him.

Upon arriving at their mansion, Bruno helped Nicole out of the car.

“Bruno, I can perfectly get out of the car by myself,” she said.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t take care of you during Santi’s pregnancy. I want to do it now, but I really don’t know how,” Bruno explained.

“Don’t worry. There aren’t that many precautions I need to take. It’s a normal life, just without excesses,” Nicole reassured him.

Santi ran to hug them, and after a while, Bruno sneaked away. When Nicole looked for him, she couldn’t find him anywhere. She dialed his phone number but realized she had left her phone behind.

“Bruno Leone, what are you up to?” she wondered, feeling puzzled. She knew he was good at keeping secrets.

A couple of hours later, she saw him enter, carrying a large number of packages.

“What’s all this?” she asked, surprised as she looked at all those things.

“I know pregnant women have a lot of cravings, so I bought plenty of fruits and pastries in case you feel like having something in the middle of the night. There are also candies and cookies. My friends have told me they had to rush out in the early hours to satisfy their cravings, so it’s better to be prepared,” Bruno explained.

“Bruno! This is too much,” Nicole exclaimed.

“No, Dad, it’s not too much. If she can’t eat them all, I can help,” Santi’s eyes lit up as he looked at all the desserts, savoring them in his mind.

“But first, you’ll have to have dinner, and then you can have one,” Bruno said.

“And what are those other boxes?” Nicole asked.

“They’re books for me,” Bruno replied.

Nicole opened the boxes; they were all books about pregnancy and baby care.

“Hahaha, are you going to read all of these?” she asked, finding it amusing. There were so many.

“Of course, that’s why I bought them,” Bruno made a face. Apparently, she didn’t believe he would actually read them.

He blushed when he saw Nicole laughing. To her, it was so adorable.

“You know, you’re an excellent father. I’m sorry for depriving you of that experience,” Nicole said.

“Apologize to me? No, it’s my fault. I earned all this. We still have time to make up for what we missed, and with this baby, I’ll help you take care of them. I’ll learn how to change diapers and prepare their meals,” Bruno said, his eyes filled with excitement.

Nicole could see the anticipation in his gaze.

From the moment the doctor said she was pregnant, Bruno imagined a little girl in his arms.

Later, Nicole set out to prepare dinner. Nanny wanted to do it, but she loved cooking for her family.

“If you won’t let me help you, then I’ll go bathe this little troublemaker who ran around so much in the garden today,” Sara took the baby, and Bruno put on an apron.

“And now? We’ll cook together again, or rather, you’ll just accompany me. Come, sit down, and watch how excellent of a chef I am,” Bruno said.

“Let me help you,” Nicole insisted.

“No, today I want to surprise you,” Bruno replied.

“Perfect, Mr. Leone. Go ahead. I’m starving,” Nicole said with a smile.

She watched him move skillfully in the kitchen, preparing a pork stew with potatoes.

“I think we won’t stop with desserts, haha,” he said, pointing to the numerous ones he had bought.

“Where did you learn to cook like this? It smells delicious,” Nicole asked.

“When I was studying in Italy, I decided to take a chef course. I enjoy cooking, and I learned very quickly,” Bruno explained.

“Who would have thought Bruno Leone was such a versatile guy,” Nicole commented.

After dinner, they went upstairs to tuck Santi into bed as they always did. He insisted that his father tell him a story.

“You know, Daddy, I like having you as my dad. I love Uncle Leandro, but I love you more,” Santi said.

“Thank you, son. I love you too,” Bruno replied with a smile.

When Santi fell asleep, Bruno returned to the room where Nicole was. After showering, he lay down beside her, picked up one of the books neatly arranged by the bed, and started reading.

Nicole watched him intently and leaned over to see the title of the book, “From the Moment of Conception.” She smiled at how interested and curious he was about the subject.

“Interesting book,” she remarked.

“I want to learn about it. I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing the ultrasound,” Bruno replied.

Nicole gently took his face, looked at him for a moment, and kissed him. Was there a man in the world more tender than him?

The next morning, Leandro was going through his father’s personal computer. Sergio and Deborah had gone out, so he meticulously checked everything and copied some files. Fortunately, he had paid attention when Sergio used the computer, so he knew the password.

“So, involved in dirty business, Dad,” Leandro thought.

He was determined to investigate his father’s shady dealings, hoping that by doing so, he could force him to leave Nicole and her mother alone.Original from NôvelDrama.Org.

Later, he went to the hospital. Gío hadn’t left Rina’s side even for a moment.

“How is she?” Leandro asked.

“Everything is still the same,” Gío replied.

“I’ve been researching, but I haven’t found anything connecting my father to the accident,” Leandro said.

“You have to keep searching. I apologize for being so insistent, I know he’s your father, but something tells me he ordered it and it wasn’t an accident,” Gío urged.

“I will. I’ll keep looking. You should go have breakfast and rest for a while,” Leandro suggested.

“I’ll take your word for it. I’ll just have breakfast and quickly shower. I want to be by her side as much as possible,” Gío said.

“Take it easy. I’ll let you know if anything comes up,” Leandro assured him.

As soon as Gío left, Sergio entered the room, surprising Leandro.

“This is our chance, son. Take that pillow and put it over her face. It will eliminate her quickly,” his father said.

Leandro felt rage at his father’s words, but then a nurse entered and asked them to leave as they were going to attend to the patient.

“Damn it! It was the perfect opportunity,” Leandro thought.

“You have to leave, Father. Someone could come in at any moment, and if anything happens to Rina, they’ll link you to her death,” Leandro warned.

“You’re right. If you ever get another chance like this, you must take it,” his father replied coldly.

Leandro watched as his father walked away. He thought his father would ask Gío to keep an eye on things. He couldn’t understand why his father hated Rina so much when he was supposed to have loved her before. He also couldn’t comprehend how his father could love someone like Deborah-perhaps because they were two of a kind.